Device for burial purposes.



J. A. JOHNSON. DEVICE FOR BURIAL PURPOSES.

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1,004,273. Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

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ATTOR/VEKS.

JOHN A. JOHNSON, OF GREENFIELD, INDIANA.

DEVICE FOR BURIAL PURPOSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

Application filed February 25, 1910. Serial No. 545,885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenfield, in the county of Hancock and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Burial Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to burial vaults and has for its object the construction of a vault which will absolutely exclude water from reaching the interior chamber thereof.

My experience, which is similar to the experience of other manufacturers of burial vaults, is that the cement vaults now in common use do not, in many cases which have come under my observation, entirely prevent the water from gaining access to the interior of the vaults. I have found in exhuming bodies that one vault will be perfectly dry within while another not more than three feet away will be filled with water. The most frequent cause for this leakage is the result of small particles of wood gaining access to the cement mixture and goes therewith into the construction of the vault. The wood so embedded in the cement wall of the vault forms a passageway for admitting the water. Water may gain access to the interior of the vault through imperfect sealing of the joints, but this is more the result of carelessness, while the former is .the most serious danger recognized by cement men and one which may happen at any time after the exercise of the greatest vigilance. Aside from the security a cement vault affords in the case of robbery, it offers nothing over the old and well known wooden box long used for burial purposes. For, in case a cement vault is defective near its top, no subsequent drainage is possible so that a body remains constantly in a submerged condition.

I accomplish the object of my invention by means of the device, as above outlined, illustrated in the accompanying drawings. forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of my device, showing a casket therein, all being inclosed within a cement burial vault of a usual and well known form. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of one end of the device and vault shown in Fig. 1, except that the same is on an enlarged scale to more clearly show the exact con-' struction of my invention.

The device consists of a rectangular opentop box 10, adapted to receive the casket containing the body, or other object to be buried. The box 10 is formed of sheet metal and the upper edge of its walls is bent to provide the channel 11, which extends entirely around said box: The channel 11 is filled with cement. The cover 15, which is a trifle larger than the box 10 and a trifle more shallow, is placed in an inverted position and let down over the box 10 until its horizontal portion 16, rests upon the crest of the cement within the channel 11. The weight of the cover 15 causes the cement in the channel 11 to spread and effectually seal the joint between the box 10 and cover 15. In case water surrounds the device it readily becomes apparent that it will rise between the walls 18 and 19 of the box and cover until the air above is compressed to sustain a resistance equaling the weight of the column of water without, when further progress of the water is arrested. To prevent corrosion of the material used in forming the boxes 10 and 11 by coming in contact with the water on the outer surfaces, the said material may be treated with a coat 20 of cement, enamel or' similar material. This coating may be extended to the interior surfaces of the boxes to improve their appearance, and especially the box 10, for it is the interior of the latter box that comes within ones observation. When the device is employed in connection with a cement vault, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the lower edge of the cover 15 is'bent to form an open roll or bead 25 to provide an increased v weight sustaining surface which may also be buried in cement, as shown at 22, thus sealing the joint at that point.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A burial vault consisting of a receiving box formed from sheet metal, channels formed of the upper edges of said box and adapted to retain sealing material, a sealing material adapted to be interposed between said channelsand the cover, a cover having depending sides and ends adapted to slip down over said box and rest upon said sealing material in said channels, and an open bead formed along the lower edge of said cover, said bead adapted to rest in a layer of cement, for excluding air and Water from said box.

2. A burial vault consisting of a receiving box formed from sheet metal, channels formed of the upper edges of said box and adapted to retain sealing material, a sealing material adapted to be interposed between said channels and the cover, a cover having depending sides and ends adapted to slip down over said box and rest upon said sealing material in said channels, an open bead formed along the lower edge of said. cover, 15

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set 20 my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 12th day of January, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and ten.

JOHN A. JOHNSON. [11.8.1

Vitnesses F. vYV. IVOERNER, L. B. 'IVOERNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of larenfcs, Washington, D. C. 

